Buckner thriving in 2018, but he’s not a Pro Bowler
Two days after DeForest
Buckner wasn’t voted to the Pro Bowl, the 49ers’ defensive tackle looked on the bright side.
“They got me as an alternate, so at least they know my name,” Buckner said, smiling. “Now I’ve got to make them remember it, right?”
Buckner, a first alternate, collected a career-best 11 sacks, which is the most by a 49ers player in six seasons. The three interior defensive linemen selected ahead of him were the Rams’ Aaron Donald (16.5 sacks), Philadelphia’s Fletcher Cox (7.5) and Chicago’s Akiem Hicks (six).
“The organization, the coaches, everybody knows my abilities and what I can do on the field,” Buckner said. “I just line up and go as hard as I can on Sundays. You know the recognition would be cool, but it is what it is. It’s out of my hands.”
Buckner, a 2016 first-round pick, could receive a nice consolation prize after the season when he’s eligible for a contract extension for the first time.
He indicated his agent, Joel Segal, plans to sit down with the 49ers’ decision-makers after the 2018 season.
“I talked to my agent in the past couple of weeks (and) he’s going to come out in the offseason and we’re going to talk a little more,” Buckner said. “Right now, that’s something that I don’t know and we’re going to figure (it) out during the offseason.” Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about a potential extension for Buckner this week.
“We’ll look into all of that stuff,” Shanahan said. “I haven’t thought about any of that now, but I know DeFo is someone we want to be a
Niner for a long time.” Kiddie corps: The 49ers have been starting several young defensive players the past two games and coordinator Robert Saleh said they have performed well enough to merit starting consideration in 2019.
Saleh mentioned inside linebacker Elijah Lee, rookie nickel cornerback D.J. Reed and rookie safety Marcell Harris.
“All of these young guys that have stepped up over these last four games have done enough to make sure that they’re part of the conversation where it’s not (firststringers) and (second-stringers) in terms of reps,” Saleh said. “Come (offseason practices), it’s 1A, 1B and go sort it out.” Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.